… Warns of nationwide strike, demands 25% budgetary allocation to education
ABUJA: The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve the prolonged crisis in the tertiary education sector or face a nationwide strike that could paralyse public services across the country.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, announced the ultimatum on Monday in Abuja after an emergency meeting with affiliates representing staff unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
He said the congress took the decision after an extensive review of the situation in the education sector, particularly the government’s failure to honour agreements reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), among others.
Ajaero lamented that despite numerous negotiations and signed memoranda, the federal government had failed to address key issues bordering on funding, revitalisation of infrastructure, unpaid allowances, and review of wage structures, which continue to undermine stability in tertiary institutions.
“We have decided to give the Federal Government four weeks to conclude all ongoing negotiations in the sector,” Ajaero declared. “After the expiration of this ultimatum, if no meaningful progress is made, the organs of the NLC will convene and take decisive nationwide action that will involve all workers and unions across the country.”
He said the congress was no longer willing to tolerate endless delays, describing the government’s approach to negotiations as unserious and counterproductive.
“It is unacceptable for government officials to attend meetings without clear mandates to make binding commitments. This attitude has contributed to the recurring breakdown of trust and the continued crisis in the sector,” he stated.
The NLC president said that the congress had resolved to collaborate more closely with the education unions to pursue lasting reforms, while insisting that government must urgently prioritise the sector in national planning.
He demanded that the federal government allocate at least 25 percent of the national budget to education, in line with international standards, and implement a comprehensive review of salaries, allowances, and conditions of service for all categories of workers in tertiary institutions.
“The welfare of workers is central to quality education,” Ajaero stressed. “We cannot continue to expect world-class results from our universities and polytechnics when staff are poorly paid and infrastructure is collapsing.”
Ajaero also urged the government to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of intervention funds such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), warning that mismanagement of such funds defeats the purpose of improving the education system.
He further called for the immediate release of withheld salaries of university workers, payment of arrears, and implementation of the renegotiated 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, saying these measures were essential to restoring industrial harmony.
The NLC president reaffirmed the congress’s readiness to defend workers’ rights and resist any form of neglect of the education sector, which he described as “the backbone of national development.”
“The era of signing agreements and failing to implement them is over. Nigerian workers will not fold their arms while our education system collapses. If the government fails to act within the four-week window, we will mobilise nationwide to demand justice, fairness, and accountability,” Ajaero warned.
He called on parents, students, and civil society groups to support the NLC’s stance, adding that the fight to save Nigeria’s tertiary education system was a collective responsibility.
